"Speak for yourself, hero cadet. What exactly do you expect us to do, Sergeant?"
He ignored Rex and looked at the rest of them.
"Now, which one of you is Admiral Lewis' nephew?"
Cassandra looked at Nate instinctively even though she said nothing. Rex laughed and then pointed at him.
"Nate's the guy you want. His uncle's the war hero."
Normally, Nate would have struck out at him for that, but there was something about the ship that made him feel sombre and more serious minded. What few crew remained were busy preparing craft and weapons for a potential fight.
"I'm Nathaniel Lewis, Sergeant. Why do you ask?"
The marine moved in and examined him, like he expected to find something special about the young cadet.
"No idea, son, it comes from the Captain."
He turned to the other cadets.
"You will follow Private Valentine here. I want the rest of the squad to get to the armoury, reload, and get to your stations. This ain’t over yet, and if any Byotai come knocking, we are gonna be ready."
"Sergeant!"
The marines scattered, leaving just Private Valentine with the cadets, and Sergeant Perkins waiting alongside Nate. Rex looked over to the female marine and nodded his head with amusement.
"Yeah...now that's more like it."
The marine shook her head.
"Park it, cadet, and come with me."
The marine walked off to the right, with three of the cadets behind her. Cassandra and Billy held back near Nate. Sergeant Perkins was speaking briefly to one of the mechanics on the deck and noticed the three were still there.
"Go with the Private. She'll find you somewhere to stay."
Billy shook his head.
"With respect, we're staying together."
Cassandra nodded quickly in firm agreement.
"We're not Alliance military, Sergeant. You can't..."
The man laughed and rubbed the back of his hand across his cheek.
"Cute."
He considered their words but not for long.
"With me."
They moved off through the hangar deck, constantly changing direction to avoid running into a motorized weapon trolley, or clamped spacecraft that seemed to fill the vastness of the hangar. In the background was the constant din of the war klaxon, a tone that reminded everybody of the seriousness of the situation. Finally, they reached a modestly sized elevator unit. There were no guards present, and the doors were already open and waiting for them. Sergeant Perkins moved inside and signalled for the three to join him. Once in, he entered the code sequence, and the door quickly hissed shut.
"You see, cadets, Relentless wasn't always a relic. Back in the day, she was state-of-the-art. She was finished thirty-five years ago, and right after the start of the Zealot Uprising. You've heard of it?"
Billy and Nate nodded politely, but Cassandra was less than amused at the history lesson.
"Yes, Sergeant, we're well aware of the Uprising. It wasn't that long ago."
The marine cleared his throat.
"Maybe not, but I wasn't alive when this vessel was first put into action. She was built as an armoured assault ship. That meant she would be used to lead assault teams and other ships directly against starbases, stations, and even capital ships. That's why her armour was made so thick."
Nate glanced over to Cassandra, and she seemed just as intrigued in what the man had to say as he did.
"Now she might only be a training ship, but she's still got what it takes. You won't find a tougher assault ship in Orion Command, and I can tell you that."
Billy started to speak, but Nate stamped gently on his foot, quickly distracting him. The two shared a glance, and Nate shook his head just as the doors opened. As the metal panels parted, they revealed another passageway filled with far more crew than at the hangar. At the far end was a wide-open bulkhead section that was packed with officers.
"Where are we?" Billy asked.
Nate looked on in awe as they moved from the express elevator and onto the open bulkhead.
"This is the CIC."
"The Combat Information Centre," Billy said in astonishment.
Just as they reached the entry point, Sergeant Perkins turned to the three of them.
"Don't touch a thing, or speak to anybody unless spoken to. Understood?"
The klaxon continued to sound, and as they passed the guards and entered the CIC, they were granted a glimpse of the command crew. There were at least eight officers, all clustered around a single vertical tactical display that glowed with light. Small holographic schematics of ships and the station provided a perfect three-dimensional model of their predicament.
"Brace for impact!" said a loud voice through the speaker system.
Nate immediately looked for something to grab and spotted one of the many emergency grab handles fitted through the ship. They were far more than normal, and as he looked up, he noticed them repeated in the most bizarre of places.
She's an old ship. When she launched, there was no artificial gravity.
Nate had never been on a ship before that lacked the gravity generators now so common. He looked around the CIC and examined the faces of the older men and women in command. They were all serious people, and though he knew they were in danger, not one of them showed any sign of nerves or fear.
This is what I want.
"Captain, we have five frigate class warships on an intercept course," said the XO.
The second-in-command was an older man, his face pockmarked with a hundred indentations. He sported stubble, and a rough white beard that had been recently trimmed.
"Wait. Make that six. Sword of Mognathus has changed course and is returning to the starbase. She is launching fighters. Gorgon is taking fire."
He looked away from the vertical display and to his Captain, a tall, bald woman with a face as hard as granite.
"My passengers? Are they all aboard yet?"
Sergeant Perkins approached and spoke quickly.
"Captain Galanos, all of the cadets and the Ambassador accounted for. We located the nephew of the Admiral. They didn't get to him."
The Captain glanced at him, then back to her XO. She seemed to relax a little, but was far from happy. That was the moment she noticed Nate and the others. Her brow tightened as she looked at him, and then her attention returned to the Sergeant.
"Good work. The garrison commander threatened his execution, and that of the Ambassador if we didn't hand over our ships. You've saved them, and our crews."
She looked briefly back at Nate.
"I will not compromise, young man. In the Alliance Navy there is no negotiation with hostage takers. You understand?"
Nate swallowed, his throat feeling dry and uncomfortable.
"Yes, Sir."
That was all she said, although he was convinced there was more. She opened her mouth, but a series of bright red lights on the vertical display quickly distracted her. The number was so great her head glowed red from the effect. He watched as a swarm of them moved in around the model of the warship, like insects moving in on a carcass or piece of rotting meat. He looked over to his friends.
"This is going to be bad."
The klaxon roared for what must have been the tenth time since they'd come aboard. Nate suddenly felt that they had moved from one metal coffin and into another, one from which there was absolutely zero chance for escape.
"Brace! Incoming missiles," said the XO.
The ship let out a great groan, and steam blasted down into the passageway outside as two coolant pipes burst. A crewman yelled in pain, and a repair team quickly moved in to repair the damage. The interior lighting flickered and returned as quickly as the trouble had begun. The Captain seemed completely nonplussed about what was happening, and her crew continued with their duties, even as the ship was continually pounded.
"What about the trade delegation from Carthago? They cannot be left behind. We have our orders."
/> The XO pointed to a group of three civilian craft near the station. As he moved his hand, the three green shapes flashed and bright green circles appeared around them.
"We have a squad bringing them out now. All civilians are accounted for, but it's cutting it fine. They won't make it past the Byotai guns without help."
The Captain clearly wanted to get out of the area of control provided by the starbase, but until all were aboard, her hands were tied. She made the decision before Nate even had time to assess what was going on.
"Bring us about and take us directly to the station. Launch fighters and send them to escort the transports."
She leaned forward and tapped the shape of the other Alliance ship.
"Captain Granger. What's your status?"
"Captain. We've got fires on three decks, but the ship is in one piece. Weapons are primed and gun ports are open."
"Good. Follow my tracking and come aboard to protect my port flank."
As the Captain spoke, she created a diagram showing the position of the two Alliance warships, the approaching light transports, and the fighter cover.
"We will provide a flak corridor for the transports. Use whatever stores you have available and fill the skies. We need to buy time for the transports. When we're clear, activate your engines, and meet us at the rendezvous."
"Affirmative."
The Captain considered her options as the mighty ship groaned under the new pressures of her manoeuvring engines. The Sword of Mognathus was now heading directly at Relentless in a desperate attempt to cut her off from rescuing the transports. It was too late, though, and Relentless was already positioned in such a way that her air-defence turrets could provide a protective screen for the transports.
"The Byotai heavy cruiser is targeting the shuttles," said the XO, "They can't withstand a concerted attack."
"Very well," replied the Captain, "Focus our primary weapons on the station and open fire."
The XO appeared stunned.
"The starbase? But there are civilians on board."
Captain Galanos' expression could not have been angrier at that moment.
"That station turned on every one of us. It is a nest of vipers, and the only thing standing between our people and safety. Now...target their non-critical section, and open fire on the station."
"Aye, Captain."
Both capital ships continued to unleash a hail of projectiles all around them in a devastating flak cloud. But when they turned their guns on the starbase, the battle transformed. Arcs of energy and long trails of armour piercing slugs moved back and forth, like a group of wooden ships battling it out on the high seas. The turrets of the Alliance ships raked the station, setting off hundreds of explosions and starting fires throughout.
"Wait for it," said the Captain.
The officers on Relentless clearly had no idea what was happening, but as Nate watched, it all became clear.
"You're forcing them to make a choice."
The Captain smiled for the first time since Nate and his friends had entered the CIC.
"Indeed. What is more important to them? The starbase, or those people heading for our ships?"
With perfect timing, the massed guns of the Byotai warships changed direction and continued their attack against Relentless. The ship shuddered as she had before, but it was enough to give the Captain a moment to savour the moment.
"More like it."
She turned to her XO.
"Status of our fighters?"
The man looked pained to answer her question.
"All our pilots are in action. Three lost, two are still fighting, but they've sustained damage. They cannot stay out there much longer. We're just not equipped for prolong combat."
Captain Galanos sighed.
"Very well. As soon as the transports are aboard, get the fighters inside. We cannot wait much longer."
CHAPTER FOUR
Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless'
3rd Quadrant, Byotai Empire
The vibration from the massive impact sent Nate and Billy crashing against one of the vertical display units. Billy managed to right himself, but due to the awkward angle, Nate slid right past and struck his cheek on the side. Cassandra fell backwards, almost into the waiting arms of a grey-haired junior officer. Another bent down to help Nate and extended a firm hand.
"Use the grab rails. Until this is over, you need to keep hold of something."
He held onto the rail with his left hand, and with his right he checked his face. He could feel the warm, damp fluid, and as he checked his palm, he found fresh blood. Another hand grabbed him and then pushed a field dressing pack to his head. The pain was relentless for a few seconds as the device bonded the wound, as well as cleaning it. When the Naval officer removed the unit, he found Billy and Cassandra staring right at him.
"Yeah," said Billy, "That will scar up nicely."
The older officer moved away, but not before pointing towards the nearest rail.
"Use it this time."
Nate looked sheepish.
"You both okay?"
They were completely speechless, and all Nate got from either of them was a nervous smile. He looked over to the vertical tactical display. He was even closer now, and the detail provided gave him the perfect view of the unfolding battle. It was awfully similar to the overviews given when playing the Star Crusader simulation as a tactical commander.
"Look, they want to keep us here."
Billy, ever the optimist, pointed at the large number of ships.
"Most of them aren't moving. Maybe it's not as serious as we thought."
Cassandra laughed at him. "Billy, you're such an idiot sometimes. Of course it's serious. You saw what happened back on the starbase."
Captain Galanos reached for one of the nearest grab rails as another volley struck the dorsal plates of ANS Relentless. Sword of Mognathus completed her final turn, repositioned her armour plates, and brought her primary weapons to bear. Unlike the other races, the Byotai were famed for their use of movable armour. As they moved aside, the barrels of the massive phased plasma cannons extended outwards. At the same time, she continued to fire with her broadside batteries. Due to the massive energy requirements, containment generators and launch tubes, the primary weapons could only be fitted inside the bow. As the ship swung around, it lined up on the Alliance ship and took aim with her powerful guns. These were much more damaging than the railguns fitted on older Alliance ships, and in their own way more dangerous than the particle beam weapons on more recent ships. One at a time the guns fired, hurling projectiles capable of vaporising fighters and escorts in a single shot.
The initial strikes were marked by a series of white and green flashes along ANS Relentless' hull. Each shot unleashed incredible levels of energy, but they still struggled to penetrate the inner compartments of the warship. The great vessel shuddered continually as she absorbed a barrage that would have already crippled a conventionally armoured cruiser, but against the massed layers of frontal armour they were fighting it was completely different. It was more than just thick layers of plate. It was actually more than fifty layers of ablative armour, each carefully spaced apart from the next using a secret honeycomb style mixture. Captain Galanos tapped several sections on the schematic of the enemy vessel.
"Alter heading by fifteen degrees and transfer all our forward guns to the Byotai heavy cruiser's left flank. Target her propulsion and communication system here, here, and here."
The two capital ships continued towards each other on what appeared to be a collision course from those further away. With ANS Relentless now moving on a slightly angled heading, she'd freed up more defence turrets, as well as allowing the two to pass by each other in just a few more seconds of travel. Each opened fire, sending even more projectiles into the void. Sections of metal tore off both, and one of the large wing structures ripped away from the Byotai ship and drifted off into the blackness.
"Keep firing!"
/> The ships passed by with less than five hundred metres between their hulls. With the forward guns now unable to fire on her, the Byotai ship reverted to using her myriad of small and medium sized guns to rake the hull of Relentless. Though less able to fight back, the heavily armoured ship was supported by the Alliance destroyer ANS Gorgon, whose own guns fired continually. The smaller ship travelled less than a kilometre away and on the port flank of the assault ship.
A pair of Lighting fighters moved between them, taking care to avoid the defensive fire from the turrets. There were also now more than a dozen much smaller ships, and the majority did their best to get in the way of the escaping Alliance ships, and three even opened fire with the few weapons they carried. One fired three missiles at ANS Gorgon before sustaining a massive broadside from the destroyer's low-slung turrets. It exploded and then vanished, leaving little but small chunks of debris drifting about in space.
"Captain," said the XO, "The cruiser is performing a lateral rotation. It will be completed shortly, and I suspect they are attempting to move into position to strike our rear quarter."
Captain Galanos looked unperturbed at the news.
"Yes, that makes sense. Maintain course, and bring us around in a reverse heading. Bring our bow to bear, but follow on our present trajectory."
Nate watched in awe as the officers performed the textbook operation with calm and precision. As the vessel spun about on its axis, he looked to Cassandra and Billy.
"See what she's doing?"
Billy shook his head, but Cassandra clearly had a much better idea as to what was going on. She pointed at the imagery of the assault ship and shook her head.
"Impressive, very impressive. The Captain is swinging around in one-eighty rotation to keep our bow facing them."
Billy tightened his brow, and then his eyes widened, as he understood.
"So, like sliding with the fighters?"
Nate seemed amused at his answer.
"No, Billy, not like, more like exactly the same."
The ships were once again facing each other, but this time they were moving in the same direction. As before, the Byotai heavy cruiser unleashed a volley from its forward phased plasma batteries. These high-energy pulses moved little faster than conventional space-based artillery, but embedded in the outer plating and then exploded, ripping off great chunks of plating from the ship with every impact. Each shot used superheated plasma encased inside a shell that was magnetically shielded. When the shell struck an object, it would explode with incredible energy.
Star Crusader: Hero of the Alliance Page 8
